5. CELESTIAL PASSAGE: BVI-Bermuda // 900 Miles // 10 Days // Waitlist

Tuesday, May 2, 2017 10:30 AM 10:30
Sunday, May 14, 2017 11:30 AM 11:30

Google Calendar ICS

$4,000 // 10 Days

This trip is now fully crewed. Register here to get on the waiting list.

Our 5th passage of 2017 will be completed by navigating entirely with the sextant! Crew members who join us will be offered free tuition to one of Andy's celestial nav. workshops to get ready for the passage, review on taking sights before departure, and full real-life experience navigating only by the sun and stars!

This will be a true celestial passage, meaning all GPS devices will be turned off and we'll make our passage and landfall entirely by the sextant. As a safety precaution, we'll maintain a GPS coordinates log in case of emergency, and consult the AIS should the need arise, but all actual navigating and position plotting will be done with the sextant, including our approach and landfall in Bermuda. Raising the stakes like this creates a sense of urgency you'd never get by simply 'practicing' celestial offshore.

This passage will also be part of the ARC Europe Rally, which Mia and I sailed with in 2012, and which we've worked for for nearly 7 years. Registration includes all the events surrounding the rally at the start in Tortola and during the stopover in Bermuda.

The sailing itself is usually excellent on this leg. It'll likely be a reach or close reach upon leaving Tortola as we sail north in the easterly trades. Our course is due north as we head the 900 miles towards Bermuda. As we get further north, the trades can either follow us, or sometimes die out. Occasionally, cold front will cross the track, bringing heavy weather with their passing followed by brisk northwesterly winds and clear skies.

Landfall is St. Georges is a classic one, with all that Bermuda has to offer.

The Route

What to Expect Onboard

FAQs

Other Important Passage Info

Featured

Chris Kobusch // FALKEN Skipper (GER)

Chris has been working professionally on yachts ever since completing his Yachtmaster in 2009. Having logged more than 165,000 nautical miles since, Chris has sailed and raced all around the world on a variety of yachts from small, modern Cape31s to big classic 50m schooners.

During the 2017-18 Clipper Round The World Race Chris skippered the Chinese entry Qingdao and his team achieved a 3rd overall. After the Clipper Race Chris spent two years in the high latitudes skippering Skip Novak's sailing expedition yacht Pelagic Australis. Chris skippered ICEBEAR in 2022 and is returning in 2023 to skipper FALKEN.

Emma Garschagen // First Mate & Podcast Host (USA)

Emma is 59º North’s Chief Mate. She joined the 59º North team in 2019 after graduating from Kenyon College where she studied environmental science. Emma has logged over 25,000 ocean miles in the past three years. She has crossed the Atlantic twice, and recently sailed up to 80° North on ISBJØRN in Svalbard. Emma has also sailed as a student and deckhand on tall ships, worked on traditional wooden boats, driven launch boats, and recently skippered a Broadreach voyage with high schoolers in the Caribbean.

Alex Laline // FALKEN Chief Mate (ESP)

Alex’ experiences vary from light high performance racing yachts to big heavy expedition yachts. Alex started sailing at the young age of 4 and he's been hooked to the Ocean ever since, either sailing or surfing.

He has accumulated over 115,000 nautical miles over the past years as a professional sailor, racing all over the world as part of a team in the Clipper Round the World race, working on an expedition yacht in the Arctic Circle and doing a variety of deliveries.

Erik Nordborg // Relief Skipper (SWE)

Erik grew up on the west coast of Sweden – never far from boats and sailing. Both sailboat racing and cruising have always been a big part of his life. Being a professional meteorologist Erik has been involved in several major sailing events and races across the globe including the America’s Cup, Volvo Ocean Race, Vendée Globe and many more. As a sailor Erik races and competes in the exciting Figaro Class in France. He joins us in 2023 as a relief skipper on FALKEN.

Jon Amtrup // ISBJØRN Skipper (NOR)

Jon Amtrup is a Norwegian sailor, captain, author, and Arctic explorer. Of his sailing accomplishments, Jon has sailed the entire coast of Norway several times in both winter and summer, circumnavigated Svalbard, crossed the Atlantic, explored Greenland, crossed the North Sea many times, and raced in several national and international double-handed and single-handed regattas. Jon runs his own business consulting with high latitude sailing expeditions on planning, weather, and routing assistance. A member of the The Explorers Club, Jon is the author of several maritime books. Encouraged by Andy, he also hosts his own sailing podcast in Norway. Jon skippered ISBJØRN in the high latitudes in 2022, and returns for more in 2023.

Ben Soofer // Relief Mate (USA)

Ben Soofer is a sailor and an outdoor educator. Ben first joined the 59 North team in 2018 (making him the very first addition to the team!) as the resident "Public Relations & Media Guru" while attending the University of Denver. Ben grew up sailing on the sandy banks of the Neuse River in North Carolina but was convinced that his destiny lay in the professional world. After Andy invited him to step aboard for a passage south, everything changed.

Andy Schell // QUARTERDECK Editor, FALKEN Skipper (USA)

Andy started 59 North with Mia back in 2013 with the idea to share his passion for offshore sailing with like-minded people. He’s sailed 100,000+ miles offshore, crossed the Atlantic 7 times, skippered ISBJORN to 80º North in Svalbard & FALKEN to Greenland & Iceland.

Mia Karlsson // CREW Liasion, FALKEN Mate (SWE/USA)

Mia grew up in the countryside in Sweden a non-sailor until meeting Andy in New Zealand in 2006. Her first sailing trip was aboard SOUTHERN ENDURANCE, a 28-foot charter boat in the Marlboro Sounds on NZ’s South Island. Since then she’s sailed over 50,000 miles offshore, crossed the Atlantic 7 times (on 4 different boats), & sailed ISBJORN to 80º North.

Laura Parent // Shore Support (USA)

Laura grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with an insatiable wanderlust and the influence of the ocean, boats and waterways of her hometown. Her father’s career as a Port Everglades Pilot gave her early exposure to working on the water and a love for the culture of the sea. Her first boat job was on a tourist boat at age 17 when she started to realize that working on boats could be her ticket to see the world.

August Sandberg // QUARTERDECK Editor, ISBJØRN Skipper (NOR)

After serving a year in the army as an Arctic Jaeger on the Norwegian-Russian border, he started film studies in Bergen. While studying film production, August renovated an old Baltic 37, and then proceeded to circumnavigate the Atlantic with her after he got his degree. August became a dad in 2021 and lives with his son Amund and his partner Karolina in the fjords outside of Bergen, Norway.

Posted in 2017
Tagged 2017